Sergio Henao facts for kids
Henao in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sergio Luis Henao Montoya | ||
| Nickname | El Venao | ||
| Born | 10 December 1987 Rionegro, Colombia |
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| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb; 9 st 8 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Nu Colombia | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a professional racing cyclist from Colombia. He is known for his skills as a climber in road cycling. Sergio currently rides for the Nu Colombia team. He has also competed for other major teams like Team Sky and UAE Team Emirates.
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Sergio Henao's Early Life
Sergio Henao was born in Rionegro, Colombia, in 1987. This was the same year that another famous Colombian cyclist, Luis Herrera, won the Vuelta a España race.
Sergio Henao's Cycling Journey
Starting Out: Early Career Years
Sergio Henao began his cycling career in 2005. He quickly showed his talent by winning two stages in a junior race called the Vuelta del Porvenir. He also finished second overall in the junior Vuelta a Venezuela. In 2006, he won the Clasic Norte de Santander.
In 2007, Sergio joined the Colombia es Pasión team. This allowed him to race outside of South America for the first time. He continued to achieve good results, including winning two stages in a Venezuelan race. By the age of 20, he was already finishing third in important races like the Vuelta a Antioquia.
In 2008, he won the under-23 version of the Vuelta a Colombia. Two years later, he won the main Vuelta a Colombia race, taking two stages and the overall title. In 2011, before moving to Europe, he won the first part of the Tour of Utah race.
Joining Team Sky: Professional Debut in 2012
In 2012, Sergio Henao became a professional cyclist. He joined the Team Sky team, which was one of the biggest teams in cycling. He rode alongside his friend and fellow Colombian, Rigoberto Urán.
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Sergio competed in his first major multi-day race, called a Grand Tour, at the Giro d'Italia. He did very well, finishing ninth overall. He even wore the White Jersey for the best young rider for two days. After the Giro, he finished third overall in the Tour de Pologne. He also represented Colombia in the Olympic Road Race in London. Sergio finished his impressive first professional season with a fifth-place finish in the Giro di Lombardia, a famous one-day race.
Victories and Challenges: 2013-2015
Sergio's 2013 season started strong. He won his first race with Team Sky at the Volta ao Algarve. He also won a stage at the Tour of the Basque Country, which put him in the lead of the race for a while. He finished third overall in that race, behind another Colombian star, Nairo Quintana.
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In 2014, Sergio faced a challenge when his team paused his racing schedule to understand some test results better. The team wanted to learn more about how athletes who grew up at high altitudes, like Sergio, are different. Sadly, while training later that year, Sergio was hit by a car. This accident caused a knee injury, and he couldn't race for the rest of 2014.
He made a strong return in 2015. He finished second overall in the Tour of the Basque Country, showing he was back in top form.
Olympic Dreams and Big Wins: 2016-2017
In 2016, Sergio started the year well, finishing third overall in the Tour Down Under. He also played a key role in helping his teammate Geraint Thomas win the Paris–Nice race. Sergio was a very important helper, or "domestique," for Chris Froome when Froome won the Tour de France for the third time.
Sergio represented Colombia again at the Olympic Road Race in Rio. He was in a good position to win a medal, but unfortunately, he crashed on the final downhill section of the race. He broke his collarbone in the fall.
The year 2017 was a big one for Sergio. He won the Colombian National Road Race Championships. Then, in March, he won the famous Paris–Nice race by a tiny margin of just two seconds! This was a huge victory in his career.
Key Achievements
Sergio Henao has achieved many important results throughout his career, including:
- Winning the Paris–Nice stage race in 2017.
- Winning the National Road Race Championships twice (2017, 2018).
- Winning a team time trial stage at the Giro d'Italia.
- Finishing on the podium (top 3) in several other major stage races like the Tour of the Basque Country and Tour de Pologne.
- Finishing in the top 10 of Grand Tours like the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.
Images for kids
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Sergio Henao in 2018
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Sergio Henao wearing the leader's jersey at the 2010 Vuelta a Colombia
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Sergio Henao in the opening time trial of the 2012 Giro d'Italia
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Sergio Henao winning the third stage of the 2013 Tour of the Basque Country.
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Sergio Henao at the 2016 Paris-Nice
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Sergio Henao at the 2017 Paris–Nice
See also
In Spanish: Sergio Luis Henao para niños
